The ESI Turkey team consisted of five analysts: besides Gerald and Verena (who moved to Istanbul), three young Turks joined ESI.

Erkut Emcioglu had studied law in Strasbourg and Paris and had worked as a journalist at Radio France Internationale for 7 years. Enis Köstepen, originally from Izmir, had studied sociology at Bogazici University, undertaken field research on rural change in Anatolia, and had worked on a large exhibition on human rights in Turkey for the History Foundation. Nigar Göksel had worked for TESEV (the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation), TUSIAD (the Industrial Association), IREX and the ARI Movement. After joining ESI, she continued as editor of the Turkish Policy Quarterly, now produced in partnership with ESI.